Change of Heart

CHANGE OF HEART: Jodi Picoult: Atria Books: Fiction: 447 pages

Eleven years ago, Shay Bourne was convicted of murdering 7-year-old Elizabeth Nealon and her police officer stepfather. Now on death row, Shay is obsessed with the idea of donating his heart to Elizabeth’s sister Claire, who suffers from a heart condition, after his execution. With the help of a priest who served on the jury that convicted him and an ACLU attorney, Shay attempts to find redemption after death.

In her newest novel, Picoult once again considers complicated moral issues in a legal setting. Picoult excels at creating multi-dimensional characters and plots and never resorts to a dichotomy between good guys and bad guys. My Sister’s Keeper and Nineteen Minutes remain my favorite of Picoult’s work, but Change of Heart is an interesting, thoughtful book.

MBC